Do you relate more to animals than people?

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andrethemoogle
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04 Nov 2014, 6:44 pm

I know the question sounds weird so I apologize if it does. I find myself better in the company of animals or meeting a new animal rather than a person.

I've always had a special bond with animals I've found my entire life, as I've never had friends outside from my parents.



guzzle
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04 Nov 2014, 7:13 pm

If only animals could talk proper.
I've learnt to speak cat but have no clue what I'm saying though. Still, I get replies and head nods of my own cats so can't be that bad :lol:



AspieUtah
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04 Nov 2014, 7:24 pm

I raised hundreds of gerbils when I was a tween. I taught one to give me the sunflower seeds that he had shelled (which is a huge sacrafice among gerbils because sunflower seeds are their addiction). I would pretend to eat the seeds and then "magically" make them reappear in my hand. He loved the trick.

I taught other gerbils to grab onto my hair (long before Disney's Ratatouille copied the idea), so they would have a safe place to perch while I went about my day. Others preferred sitting happily in my shirt pockets.

And, humans say that animals don't understand us.


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seaturtleisland
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04 Nov 2014, 7:43 pm

I don't. I'm more affectionate towards animals than people and I care about them more but I don't relate to them. While on my own the living thing I miss most from my parents house is the dog. When visiting peoples' homes I pay more attention to the pets than I do to them. I still can't say I understand, empathize, or relate to the animals more. I probably have more in common with the people I care so little about.



B19
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04 Nov 2014, 8:18 pm

Your question does not sound at all weird to me. Increasingly, I am intolerant of people who dislike animals and especially of the people who hurt and torment them - the animal sadists. The latter kind I regard as a lower form of life and I would not care if they all dropped dead today. In fact I would celebrate it. I am incapable of wishing them well in any way and the world would be better off without them.



olympiadis
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04 Nov 2014, 8:49 pm

I relate more/easier to the animals, or pretty much anything else other than people.
People have something in them that creates an aggressive and hostile barrier around them.



lostonearth35
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04 Nov 2014, 8:58 pm

It's not a weird question. I relate better to cats because of their independence and desire to do what pleases them. When I was a kid I wanted to visit other people's home a lot more if they had cats. That, or their kids had a lot of toys I didn't have. :) Relating to animals is something humans have done for centuries, even if they're not aware of it. We're always comparing ourselves to animals and many people have avatars and usernames after them. I don't understand how anyone can not like animals and they can't possibly be a good person if they don't.
But then there are also people who "love" animals but don't even bother to learn a thing about caring for them. They get a puppy because they thought it was so cute but then it gets older and less cute and then they neglect or abuse it, or they pick a breed that grows up too large for them to handle, or they buy bunnies or chicks at Easter only because they're so cute and then the baby animals die in a few days. I don't get it, why doesn't occur to them the pet isn't going to be tiny and adorable forever and they are just as superficially biased as they are with other humans? :(



olympiadis
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04 Nov 2014, 10:38 pm

lostonearth35 wrote:
I don't get it, why doesn't occur to them the pet isn't going to be tiny and adorable forever and they are just as superficially biased as they are with other humans? :(


The animal is objectified into a tool for their identity to use to make them feel better about themselves. The poor animal serves a similar function to some piece of home decor.
They do not engage the reality that the animal is another living being deserving of the highest respect.



r2d2
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04 Nov 2014, 11:05 pm

I suppose I have felt more affection for my dogs I have had over the years - than I do for most people


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seaturtleisland
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05 Nov 2014, 12:35 am

lostonearth35 wrote:
I don't get it, why doesn't occur to them the pet isn't going to be tiny and adorable forever and they are just as superficially biased as they are with other humans? :(


This is besides your point but I have to say something about them not being adorable anymore.

I don't see how they stop being adorable even when they're old and large. With dogs they always seem to act like puppies. They're always affectionate and as they get older they play less often but they seem to have bursts of energy. Even at the age of 13 my parents' dog can be so playful and his eyes still have the same affection that they always have. He gets confused because he's getting old but it's impossible to not get the same warm feelings from his expressions than you would from his tininess. He's bigger but that doesn't make him less adorable.

Part of it may be that my parents' make sure he isn't in pain. They give him arthritis medication so he can still enjoy life and because of that you can see the light in his eyes even at the age of 13.

They don't stay tiny but they can stay adorable even at an age they're not expected to reach.



glider18
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05 Nov 2014, 7:48 am

With my family aside, I relate more to my Hammond organs than I do to people.


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Klowglas
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05 Nov 2014, 8:41 am

Animals represent innocent people, this is why childless women love them. because it (partially) fulfills that maternal need, however, animals can only represent this side of people, they can never truly fulfill it.... Crazy cat ladies are not happy people, while animals are nice, there is a limit of how much happiness you can derive from them, they compliment people, but they can never replace them. What people really want is more honest and innocent interactions with others, animals represent this desire, which is extremely hard to fulfill in a dishonest world.

Not to say there's anything wrong with loving animals, but that its people who you are really after. The things people love about animals are also the things they love about children.



grbiker
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05 Nov 2014, 10:47 am

I find it easier to let go and play with my dog than with others, he's so enthusiastic and willing to do the same activities repeatedly until he's worn out and doesn't get bored.

Humans, older children included, tire of activities, or it's not the activity but the sharing time and connection around the activity that is valuable.

The dog just wants to play.



nick007
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06 Nov 2014, 7:38 pm

I don't feel I relate to either that well thou I like animals & am OK being around people in small doses.


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Zajie
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07 Nov 2014, 3:29 am

No and I never even had pets excluding fishes or turtles
I feel very aliented from animals, I always saw them as 'objects' but not as how I see a table or a real object its hard to explain but I never saw them as something emotional



SickPuppy
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07 Nov 2014, 4:13 am

I find myself having sympathy for animals more than I would people. People get to have a choice while animals many times don't.